Dorsey- Black Robe

While watching this film I was struck not only by the interactions between the literate cultures and the oral one, but also by the distinct gendered roles. In both cultures, it is common that women are more domestic and men are in the public sphere but this film made the Native American tribe very gender specific. The men were in positions of power and took care of all the decision making. The women cooked and cleaned and took care of children. This however seems widely inaccurate. When the men are gone, how would the women get by if all they know how to do is maintain the domestic sphere? I am not sure if the films interpretation of the gender roles in this specific tribe are accurate, but I feel that within oral cultures and cultures that rely heavily on every individual it would be hard to have such distinct roles.

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